Treasure
by heheangel kisses
Summary: She was his treasure. He failed her. He couldn't protect her. [hitsugaya] COMPLETED!
1. Wake Up

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Disclamer: i don't own Bleach!

**Treasure  
**hehe angelkisses

This was torture.

He couldn't stand it anymore; just looking at her as she rested on the hospital bed hurt more than anything. He stared at her blank face as he leaned against the door frame; her expression was so cold and alone.

The windows in her room were slightly opened, and he watched as the breeze played with her hair. She was so thin and vulnerable looking that he thought she would have blown away if even the slightest wind hit her. Her whole form looked defeated as her once laughing brown eyes were now covered by heavy lids.

Histugaya wanted to scream loudly and yell insanities into her ears. He desperately wanted to tell her to open her eyes and wake up, just so he could see her smile again. He wanted her to talk and smile with him just like they did when they were younger, as they ate watermelons together. And he wanted to hear her voice as she squealed when he spat the seeds at her.

But even more than any of this, he wanted to hear his name coming from her lips.

_Shiro-chan…_

Memories of that frustrating pet name swirled in his mind. Both of them had nicknames for each other. This was a special friendship that they shared, a link that was supposed to have never been breached. Only Hinamori was allowed to call him by that name. It was a privilege given only to the person most special to him, a person whom he wanted to protect forever.

He promised himself that if Hinamori woke up, he would let her call him that annoying name as much as she wanted, just as long as she woke up. He would stop being rude to her, and train twice as hard, only so that he could protect her. He would become stronger, just for her sake. He was willing to do anything for her.

Hitsugaya uncrossed his arms and slowly made his way to her bedside. For a few minutes, he just stood there, watching her as she breathed softly into her air mask. His hands clasped one of hers. Her hand felt icy against his own, and he rubbed his palms against hers, trying to somehow warm it up a bit.

Hitsugaya tilted his head slightly to the side, taking a better look at her face. Although she looked peaceful, somewhere in the hollow depths of her covered eyes showed that she was scared, and almost terrified.

Unohana-taichou told him before that Hinamori was physically healed, but still, she refused to wake up. Her only enemy now, was herself. The tenth division captain's eyes softened, and for a second, flickers of pain flashed through them.

_Ne, Hinamori, I'm right here. I'll protect you, so don't worry. Believe in me, okay?_

_Wake up already, stupid Bed-Wetter Momo._

_I'm waiting for you…_

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to be continued... 

hehe, my first bleach fic! Constructive criticism will be most welcomed and appreciated! please tell me what you think!

hehe angelkisses


	2. Waiting

**I don't own bleach! **

**Treasure**

Waiting

Matsumoto sighed as she tiredly stretched her arms. She had been doing paperwork all day. She looked up solemnly towards her captain's desk. Any trace of work was gone, and the table was left organized and neat. As she expected, the young taichou had already left. The vice-captain looked dejectedly at her own desk; she had taken over most of the work for the past few days. Although this meant that she had work longer than usual, at least now her captain didn't have as much to do.

She supposed that he knew what she was trying to do as she gradually took over the paperwork. The harder she worked, the more time he could afford to spend with Hinamori. Matsumoto knew that he was grateful for this. She smiled slightly to herself, her captain was a brat, but Hitsugaya was also very kind when he wanted to be. As he left the workplace the other day, the captain of the tenth division brought her a cup filled with tea, muttering a thank you when he stepped out of the door.

Matsumoto's eyes softened, Hitsugaya was being very quiet lately. Even though others didn't notice it, she did. Nowadays whenever he talked to her, his voice was no longer as cocky and that stupid smirk on face was no longer as smug.

The vice-captain slumped in her chair and she looked out of the window, staring at the sky. She watched as the clouds floated away, being slowly moved by the wind. Her expression suddenly became sad. Somewhere, in that vast valley of blue, Ichimaru Gin was there.

In some ways, she and Hitsugaya were very alike.

They were both waiting.

Her captain was waiting for Hinamori. And she was waiting for Gin.

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this time, the chapter is in Matsumoto's POV. its shorter and not as angsty as the last one... i really want to thank all of the people who took to time to review this story! its very appreciated! the next chapter should be up in like three days...

heheangel kisses


	3. Trust Me

disclamer: i do not own bleach! XD

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**Treasure**

Trust Me

Hitsugaya stood there in her room totally frozen, his body entirely shocked. The situation was in chaos and members of the fourth division ran around the room wildly, instantly obeying any command their captain said. Histugaya could hear his heart beating wildly in his ears and he numbly walked closer to Hinamori's bedside.

"_Somebody go call Unohana-taichou!"_

"_Her heart rate is rapidly decreasing!"_

"_Quick, bring that tray over!"_

"_The situation is not looking good…"_

No! No, no, no…. This wasn't supposed to happen!

"Hinamori!"

She was supposed to get better! She was supposed to wake up! He couldn't believe what was happening. He didn't even hear her call his name yet.

Didn't she believe in him? He said that he'd protect her. Why is she giving up so easily? Didn't she _trust_ him?

"Hitsugaya-taichou," He felt a warm hand on his shoulder. "I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave to room."

The fourth division captain looked sympathetically at the younger captain. He stared at her with wide eyes as his brain processed the situation.

Emergency operation? No! Hinamori was perfectly fine. She didn't need an operation!

But as he stared at Captain Unohana's understanding expression, reality forcefully sunk itself in, and it almost tore his heart apart. He could feel himself shaking as he clenched his fists and glared at the floor.

Oh god… Hinamori was dying.

"Onegai…." his voiced rasped shakily, "Please… let me stay… I want to stay with her…"

Unohana looked at him gently. After a few seconds, she nodded her head reluctantly as she answered, "Alright."

What she was seeing now was not a boy-genius, nor a respected captain of a division of the Gotei 13. Standing before her was just Hitsugaya Toushiro, trying to hang on desperately to sanity as his best friend; his most precious treasure, was dying.

Unohana turned back to her patient. Taking out her Zanpaktou, her expression became serious and she closed her eyes in concentration, "Commencing emergency operation on Hinamori-fukutaichou…"

Hitsugaya stood stiffly by Hinamori's side and he held tightly onto one of her hands. Her palm felt colder than ever.

Baka, Bed-Wetter Momo! Baka!

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hehe, i know the last chapter was quite out of character... XDD matsumoto never does any work... but i'm sure she would put up with doing some paperwork when her captain is acting differently.

anyway, here is the next chapter! please review and tell me what you think! thank you to carzla and Sweet Hikaru-Chan for reviewing my last chapter!

heheangel kisses


	4. A Green Ribbon

hehe, before anyone decides to kill me by the end of this chapter, i would like to point out that this story is rated as a tragedy, so there will most likely be no happy endings...

disclaimer: i don't own bleach!

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**Treasure**

**A Green Ribbon**

Everybody knew that Hitsugaya-taichou was able to control the weather. As the sky thundered heavily on that day, it most definitely seemed like he was. But despite what others thought, he wasn't. It was as if the sky understood his feelings, as thick rain clouds blanketed the heavens and heavy sheets of rain poured icily onto the ground.

Hitsugaya stared hatefully at the headstone that stood in front of him. It was a merciless monument of his failure, and every second that he took looking at its smooth surface cut at his soul and tore him apart. The headstone was totally bare, except for the few words that were deeply etched into the stone.

_In loving memory of Hinamori Momo, former vice captain of the fifth division._

He couldn't stand another minute at this place. Any longer, and he would have suffocated under his own depression. Only a few people came to attend Hinamori's funeral. The vice captains of the third and sixth divisions were currently saying prayers to her as they stood before her grave.

The ceremony was short and quick, and after the first division captain said his regards to Hinamori, Hitsugaya immediately turned his heels and fled. He ignored the sympathetic looks he got from the other shinigami, and he ignored how numb and cold his body felt exposed in the rain. He quietly walked back to his room, and slid the door forcibly shut after him.

The small captain stood exhaustedly in the middle of the room. His whole body was tired and his mind was a mess. He just wanted to lie down and sleep. As he opened his closet for a change of clothes, a small hair ribbon fell to the ground, fluttering to a stop in front of his feet. Hitsugaya bent to pick it up, and paused as he stared at the ribbon.

It was a gift from Hinamori. A special present she gave to him the day he managed to get into the Gotei 13.

"_Ne, Shiro-chan," HInamori said, "now that you're in the tenth division, and I'm in the fifth division, we won't be seeing much of each other anymore."_

_Hitsugaya scowled, "Who cares, I have no time to see you anyways. I have a lot of work to do."_

_Hinamori only smiled and she pulled at one of the green ribbons holding her hair in pigtails. "That's why I'm giving you this." She folded the ribbon and placed it in his hand. _

_Hitsugaya looked at her skeptically, "Your hair ties?"_

"_Yup," Hinamori grinned, "these are my favorite ribbons. Now you and I both have one!"_

"_Baka!" Hitsugaya glared. He pushed the ribbon back into her hands, "There's no point in giving me this."_

"_Demo, Shiro-chan…"_

"_I told you not to call me that!"_

_Hinamori pouted, "Aizen-taichou said that in the human world, people give each other matching necklaces or bracelets!" _

"_Well we aren't humans!"_

"_It's to show that they're best friends!" Hinamori said frustrated, then her voice quieted and she looked timidly at him, "It represents how important and how close they are to each other."_

_Hitsugaya felt his cheeks heat up and he diverted his eyes to the ground. _

"_Fine." he mumbled, and snatched the ribbon from her. "I'll – I'll, treasure it…"_

_Hinamori immediately brightened, "Arigato, Shiro-chan!" She nearly jumped on him as she gave him a big hug._

"_STOP CALLING ME THAT!"_

Hitsugaya stared at the green ribbon for a long time, his fingers curled against the material. This was a precious gift from Hinamori… his treasure… a treasure who he couldn't protect. He failed her, and he was miserable. Hinamori would never come back. He would never see her smile again, and he would never hear the name "Shiro-chan" again. Hinamori Momo was gone.

Gone…

Forever.

At that moment, Hitsugaya's mind broke down and his sanity snapped. Emotions raged out of their barrier, and all at once, they overwhelmed him, drowning his soul in a pool of anger. His body moved on its own. He wouldn't even try to stop it. Little by little, he destroyed everything, ripping his robes out of his closet, and tearing anything in sight.

He couldn't stop now; his mind was drugged with anger. Any restraint disappeared, and he screamed loudly as he overturned his desk and closet. He grabbed books, pens, pictures, and threw them all across the room. Drawers were knocked out of their place, and a mass of feathers flew into the air as he lashed out on his pillows.

Slowly, he felt his breathing calm down and he sank to his knees in the middle of the destruction. Anger turned into sadness, and sadness turned into grief. Large tears began to run down his face, dripping onto his clenched hands.

"Hinamori!"

He tried not to cry. He didn't want to admit it. But he failed, just like how he failed everything else. What good was it being a boy genius when he couldn't even keep her safe? Hitsugaya doubled over and sobbed loudly, holding tightly onto the hair ribbon, the one thing in the room that wasn't destroyed.

The tears wouldn't stop, and he laid there in the dark crying for hours.

_I'm sorry, Hinamori… I couldn't protect you. _

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i really want to thanks all of the people who reviewed my last chapter! the next chapter will probably take longer for me to update... i haven't started to write it yet...XDD anyways, please review and comment on my story, i would love to hear your opinions!

special thanks to **carzla**, who informed me of my mistake with hinamori's division on the tombstone. its fixed now.

heheangel kisses


	5. He's Alright, Hinamori

disclaimer: i don't own bleach!

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**Treasure**

**He's Alright, Hinamori**

Matsumoto walked around the Gotei 13 grounds for the second time that night. The candle in her lamp was beginning to give away as the wax shrank and melted. She sighed when she found herself wandering back to the tenth division headquarters. Hitsugaya had been absent for most of the day, and she was the one who filled in for him during his captain's meeting. The stress was building up, and she needed to find her captain.

Her thoughts wandered back to the funeral. The burial had ended hours ago, and Hitsugaya just seemed to disappear. Matsumoto had watched his retreating form sadly as he practically ran from the site. She didn't know whether to be surprised when he didn't say a word throughout the ceremony. He was deathly quiet and she could see the shock that had imprinted itself into his eyes. She knew it had hurt him deeply when Hinamori had suddenly passed away. It hurt her too, but compared to her pain, Hitsugaya was suffering a lot more.

The vice captain scowled slightly. He didn't cry at all. Not a single drop had fell from his eyes. Hitsugaya was stubborn, and she wished that for once, he would just relax and stop putting on a hard face to the world. She was determined to slap him out of his depression when she found him. She would yell at him, saying that it was okay to cry, and that Hinamori wouldn't want to see him bottle up all of his emotions. Her captain was young, but now was not the time to act childishly.

Matsumoto frowned and turned towards Hitsugaya's chamber. The brat probably locked himself up inside his room.

When she was first assigned to be Hitsugaya Toushiro's vice captain, she wasn't at all amused. No adult in their right mind would ever let go of their pride to serve such an undersized kid. But as the years rolled by, she slowly learned to have a new respect for the boy genius. He was still a loud mouthed, cocky boy, but despite that, he was mature and responsible.

Suddenly she heard a loud crash as if something had collapsed. Matsumoto cringed when she heard the sound of wood being snapped in half. A loud sob rang out through the halls, and the whole building seemed to tremble with grief. It was as if her whole body was being weighed down by the sadness as the scream echoed in her ears.

'_That was… taichou's voice…' _

The vice captain softly went closer to the room, and she slid the door open, her eyes widening at the sight. Hitsugaya was… crying.

He didn't even notice that she was there. And if he did, he was too miserable to really care. Moonlight slid into the room through the slit in the door, and it glowed softly on his small frame. Hitsugaya cried silently in the corner of the room, his body was curled into a tight ball. Everything around him was broken in pieces.

Matsumoto closed her eyes. Calmly, she slid the door shut. She had never seen her captain look more broken, but she couldn't help it as relief crept into her mind. Her captain was strong; he wouldn't let this utterly tie him down.

Turning her back to the room, she walked back to the office. The vice-captain looked up into the sky. She could see the stars twinkling persistently against the black of night. Matsumoto smiled gently. '_He's alright, Hinamori.'_

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haiiiiii, the fifth chapter of treasure is up! i'm sorry it took so long... been busy with projects and stressing out over my grades... > "

anyway, chapter six will be posted in a moment... i've written it already, so please go on and read it!

btw, thank you to carzla and WaterLilly for reviewing chapter four!

heheangel kisses


	6. A Green Ribbon Part II

Disclaimer: i do not own bleach!

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**Treasure**

**A Green Ribbon - Part II**

A lone figure trudged towards a silent field. It was early in the morning, and the sun was just beginning to wake from its eastern home. Nobody was awake yet, but he preferred it to be that way. Hitsugaya could feel the soles of his sandals becoming wet, dampened by the morning dew hidden in the depths of the grass. He reached Hinamori's grave marker and stood in front of it. Hesitantly, the tenth division captain reached back, easily touching the edge of his soul cutter. Hyourinmaru made an eerie cry in response, and the silver dragon flew into the orange coloured sky. As his fingertips touched the smooth surface of the stone slab, small snowflakes began to descend from the sky.

Hitsugaya spoke softly, "Ohayo, Hinamori." The young captain paused. Reaching into his sleeve, he pulled out a thin green ribbon. "Do you remember this?"

He bent down quietly and began to dig beneath the earth, his fingers hollowing out a small hole. Hitsugaya took the ribbon, cutting it cleanly in half against his sword. Making a weak smile, he recited her words. Memories of her childishness and innocence appeared in his mind as he whispered, "In the human world, it's a tradition that people give each other matching necklaces or bracelets." He folded one half of the ribbon and placed it in the shallow hole. "It shows how important and how close they are to each other."

The tenth captain slowly buried the ribbon, watching as the snow mixed itself with the earth. Hitsugaya patted the ground firmly with his hands before he stood back up. Taking his half of the gift, he held it to the grave marker. "Keep your half safe, Bed-Wetter Momo." His voice was gruff and he stared at the tomb stubbornly. "When I join you in the next world, you'd better still have it."

Hyourinmaru circled around him, fading into the now snowy background. He took a step back, and turned away, pausing once to look back at her.

"I won't fail you next time. I will keep you safe."

He swore on each falling snowflake that he would never let his precious treasure slip away from him again. It was a promise that he vowed not to break a second time.

**_End_**

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this is the final chapter to Treasure! the first fanfic that i have completed! thanks for all the people who took the time to read/review this. it really helped me.

heheangel kisses


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